Emily Simpson is beginning to find a balance between living her life to its fullest and her fitness journey.

The reality star revealed in the Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 premiere that she lost 40 pounds over the course of a year with a little help from Ozempic, liposuction and “busting [her] ass in the gym.” However, Simpson also admitted that her gym-going habit had become rather “obsessive” — and her husband Shane agreed that she sometimes “takes it too far.”

Looking back on that time period, Simpson told DECIDER that she was “so restrictive” on herself.

“I was just not eating a lot, not eating carbs, not drinking any alcohol, not sharing a dessert with Shane when we go to dinner,” she said when she stopped by our office this week. “And so recently, I’ve loosened up on that.”

While Simpson said she still goes to the gym seven days a week, she felt as though she finally “found a balance.”

“I think that’s important, is to not be ridiculous, really restrictive, but to find where it’s a lifestyle that you can maintain, and I think that’s where I’m at right now,” she said.

Simpson noted that while she doesn’t weigh herself, she “can tell” that she’s “probably about 10 pounds heavier” than she was “this exact time last year.” Fortunately, that’s not going to stop her from enjoying the small things in life!

“Do I just spend the rest of my life not having dessert? Or do I just have an extra 10 pounds and I enjoy dessert with my husband when I go to dinner?” she said. “I’ll take the happiness.”

Simpson previously opened up about her fitness journey in a September 2023 Instagram caption, which she posted along with a compilation of her workout videos.

“Around age 42 I gained 40 pounds and it wasn’t until now (age 47) that I was able to finally get it off and feel like my old self again… Just to be clear though… I rocked a bathing suit on TV for 5 years and never felt ugly or not confident in myself or my body. Not once,” she wrote. “I am the strongest (mentally and physically) right now … at age 47 …and I will continue to improve myself daily. My only competition is Me.”

Simpson concluded, “Thank you for following this journey with me and for those of you who are always kind and comment positive things … I appreciate you! For the haters out there.. I love you too! You motivate me daily to lift harder and eat better.”

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs every Thursday at 9/8c on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.